Is Hermione Granger off to Yale?
Facts are intensely annoying. They always seem to get in the way of a good story. For instance, take the ‘news’ that Hermione Granger herself (well, Emma Watson), has got into Yale University in the USA.
This
is an interesting story. Firstly, if Ms Watson heads over the Atlantic
and chooses Yale over Cambridge (her other option) it could trigger a
sea-change in the opinion of bright, British teenagers who may become
more willing to study abroad (something I can thoroughly recommend).
Applications at St Andrews spiked the year after Prince William enrolled.
I would not be at all surprised if there was a similar rise in
applications from Blighty based teenagers, to hang out with one of
Potter’s pals.
Secondly, there’s the element of ‘Yale vs.
Cambridge’. If she does go abroad, there will be a dozens of articles
screaming ‘What’s wrong with Cambridge/Why are British universities not
good enough any more’. Although she’s just one girl, the press will
jump on it.
It’s a great story, but that’s the problem: it’s just a story.
It’s fiction.
Unfortunately,
Emma Watson has not been accepted by Yale (or at least hasn’t said so
in public). The oh-so-reliable Twitter feed that claims to be Miss
Watson’s – from which the Yale claims came – is in fact that of a
fraudster’s.
How did I find this out? Investigative journalism? Wire taps?
Nope. Just Google. There’s a rebuttal on the official Emma Watson website, outlining the falsity of these claims. Let’s hope The Times’ otherwise excellent School Gate blog posts a correctional update.
UPDATE: Well, I’m pleased to say that School Gate have now done so. Hurrahs all around.
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